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With all the recent uproar over the fact that many app developers have been accessing and uploading users contacts without their explicit permission, we know that Apple is set to being a feature to iOS that asks the user if it's okay that the app does that. What we didn't realize, however, is that the feature will be coming to the Mac as well with the release of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. One new feature in today's release of Developer Preview 2 sees the operating system notifying the user that an app "Would Like to Access You Contacts" and then offering the user the opportunity to say OK, or to not allow the action. It's a small gesture, but it will go a long way towards keeping your data private.

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Google will allow users to upload their address book into Google+, importing contacts that might not otherwise be on the company's new social network.

"We've been listening to feedback from our users who want more flexible ways to find their friends on Google+," Rohit Khare, a Google product manager, wrote in a Google+ post on Tuesday night. "One of the most flexible tools is an address book uploader, and I wanted to share the good news that it will be rolling out to everyone over the next few days."

Under the new uploader, users will be able to take their address books (in CSV formats) or vCard electronic business cards, and roll them into Google+. However, Khare pledged to keep the imported contacts separate from the other, existing Google Contacts, and to only store the ones that a user puts into Circles.

Looks like Google agrees with the vast majority of us as it pertains to Facebook's insane policy where they will allow you to import the data of your contacts, but refuse to let you get that data back out of the service. When you attempt to export your contact data from Google to Facebook, you get the warning above, where Google lets you know that once you export your data to Facebook, it is stuck there, and that they "strongly disagree" with the practice. They don't stop you, of course, but they do make it known what's going on, while Facebook tries to hide it.

When two of her husband’s work trucks were burgled in Georgia, Mary Chapman went to Facebook instead of the police. She messaged her friend who in turn forwarded it to another who thought she had seen something strange. Within a few hours, they had found the teenage suspect, confronted him and settled the problem by downgrading the charge after he apologized. The police hadn’t even come up with a name.

Others are also using the social network site for crimes. In the UK, a man started “Find the Sale RAPIST,” with images from a security video to help find a man who assaulted his girlfriend and has attracted 7,277 members. And a web designer who found a wallet was contacted by its owner through Facebook.

How many times have you tried to send a link to a bud, but either couldn’t send it from the site or it never arrived? Dropvine simplifies the process with a bookmarklet. After a free signup, you click on the link and select friends on your contact list (who don’t have need an account.) You can add comments on the links so your contacts will know it’s you. Hit send and the link arrives in their Dropvine inbox. They are then sent an email notification and can share in your joy.

Easy Dials It was conceived by Riverturn as the answer to dialing one-handed. You can flip through full screen images of contacts and merely double tap to dial up a number. Tilt your iPhone’s screen and you can automatically scroll through the list or add an image. Also available is the Easy Dials It Lite that only keeps two of your contacts. Both are available at the App Store for $1.99 and $0.00 respectively.

We know someone who, rather then bother to take them out when he is supposed to, leaves his contacts in much too long. We think he needs the digital Countact Lens Case. Set the duration for between 14 and 30 days, then press the “Counter” button when you change your lenses. The LED display and an audible beep lets you know the next time to replace them. You get four randomly picked cases of different colors with built-in batteries that should each last up to 3 months. That means you get a year’s worth for a price of $33.97.